Press Release

Eco-friendly housing project, Elm Tree Mews: ready for residents

23 May 2008

Elm Tree Mews, the innovative energy-efficient housing project at New Earswick, will be officially opened today (Friday 23 May) by Lord Best OBE, former Director of the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (JRHT). Developed by the JRHT on the site of a former garage, the scheme comprises six homes available for rent, shared-ownership and full sale.

The properties – one four-bedroom house, three three-bedroom houses, one two-bedroom apartment and one one-bedroom apartment – include a well thought-out combination of ‘green features’. A communal heating system, using boreholes and a pump to absorb heat from the ground, dispenses with the need for conventional gas boilers for heating the homes. This, together with solar panels, water-saving showers, taps and toilets, and highly efficient insulation will ensure that the homes are less expensive for residents to run.

Nigel Ingram, JRHT’s Director of Development and Property Services, said: “Located so close to the historic, 100-year-old Folk Hall, Elm Tree Mews does not compromise the aesthetic appeal of the village. It is a great example of how modern and green architecture can be designed to fit within a traditional environment.”

To ensure the housing project becomes a potential blueprint for energy-efficient living across the country, JRHT and academic researchers will work with the new residents to test out the amount of energy the properties use. Small, unobtrusive automatic sensors will monitor heating, water, electricity and temperature for 12 months, and the results will not only help reduce residents’ energy bills, but also help to inform a much greener way of living on a wider scale.

Each home is built to a set of quality standards, including:

EcoHomes standards – incorporating the very high sustainability features;
Lifetime Homes standards – making homes accessible to people of all ages and flexible to changing needs through a family’s lifetime;
Secured by Design accreditation – incorporating security features, including multi-point locks and security lighting.